Overview
Violet, a widowed mother on her first date in years, arrives at an upscale restaurant where she is relieved that her date, Henry, is more charming and handsome than she expected. But their chemistry begins to curdle as Violet begins being irritated and then terrorized by a series of anonymous drops to her phone.
A widowed mother, Violet (Meghann Fahy) goes on a blind date to an upscale restaurant. Her date is the charming Henry (Brandon Sklenar), and the evening starts off well. However Violet begins getting air-dropped memes sent to her from an unknown source – one who has to be in the restaurant. Initially dismissing them, it swiftly becomes clear that there is menace behind them, as Violet is told that she must kill her date or her son will be killed, and if she tries to alert anyone to help, the unknown party will take action. So begins a tight, almost real-time thriller from director Christopher Landon.
I’m quite a fan of Landon’s previous output as director, with films such as Freaky, Happy Death Day, and We Have A Ghost among others. However, usually he is working from his own screenplays with his directing work, and even when he only provides screenplays – such as with Disturbia, the Paranormal Activity sequels, and the recent Heart Eyes – his voice can be clearly heard in the dialogue. This time, however, he is working with someone else’s script, and I was initially a little worried that it wouldn’t feel as much like his particular voice as his prior output. Pretty swiftly into Drop my concerns were laid aside, as Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach have plotted a sharp and tight whodunnit mystery that paces perfectly.
This feels different from the typically jokey horror homages that Landon is generally known for, but in a good way. There are small touches of humour, but mostly it is an ever escalating tension as time is beginning to run out for Violet, and she needs to find a way to delay the inevitable until she can locate the person behind the messages. The film throws out a lot of misdirects, which lead to continued second guessing as you try to work out the mystery alongside Violet, with a final reveal that more than satisfies.
The two leads, Fahy and Sklenar, really add to the film, granting their characters an awkward, yet charming first-date chemistry that ensures you are rooting for them to get through to the end and hopefully find a happy life together. Their conversation sizzles with charm, and the pair ensure we are on their side throughout.
The final act does slightly go a little overboard, after a solid one location thriller setting, when it turns into a race to save Violet’s son, but by that point I was so completely caught up in these characters we have only spent a short time with, that I was willing to go along with it.
Drop offers a great time at the cinema, and is worth checking out.